Councils failing to meet disability targets
On the scale of disability employment targets, Cavan County Council performed worse out of 33 councils with only 0.63% of its staff representing people with disabilities.
Local authorities such as Westmeath, Donegal, Galway City Council and Kildare hovered between 1% and just over 2% in the list of ten authorities which have failed to meet the 3% target.
In contrast, local authorities such as Waterford city, Kerry, Mayo, North Tipperary and Cork City Council performed best of the surveyed councils, reaching targets of around 5%.
Overall, some 686 people with disabilities are employed in the local authorities surveyed.
The performance of the local authorities was detailed in figures released to Fine Gael’s Senator Brian Hayes, who yesterday described the results as a “grave disappointment”.
“This target was introduced over 30 years ago, and while two-thirds of County Councils/City Councils have reached the 3% target, it is still unacceptable that employment opportunities for people with a disability are still so low amongst local authorities,” he said.
According to the figures, only six councils reached a figure of 4% or more in terms of the number of people with disabilities represented in the workforce.
Overall, 10 councils failed to reach the minimum target, a matter which should be urgently addressed by the Department of the Environment according to Mr Hayes.
‘‘The public sector should lead the way when it comes to employing people with a disability.
‘‘It is very important that persons with a disability are not discriminated against in obtaining senior management positions within these organisations,” he said.
“Employing people with a disability in local government often transforms the policy and decision making process within local government. This positive impact should not be underestimated.’’
